...and if I was offered this scenario - a great season and a kick away from a GF, at the beginning of the year I would have grabbed it with both hands.
-
Weekly Prize - Join Any Time - Tip Round 9
The Golden Ticket - MCG and Marvel Medallion Club tickets and Corporate Box tickets at the Gabba, MCG and Marvel.
Round 8 Winner: bearweger
Review The Neil Craig spring catalogue special.
- Thread starter rayven
- Start date
- Tagged users None
rayven
Norm Smith Medallist
- Jun 26, 2005
- 9,955
- 1,749
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- PC racing
- Thread starter
- #27
What if Tyson Edwards had missed his smother late in the 97 prelim or hudson had laid a sheperd for Grant rendering Edwards useless?
Blight,Craig and Sanderson would of had almost identical first seasons. Blight and Craig backed it up the next year, Craig backed it up again in his third and fourth and fifth season, Blight crashed and burned in his third.
Blight,Craig and Sanderson would of had almost identical first seasons. Blight and Craig backed it up the next year, Craig backed it up again in his third and fourth and fifth season, Blight crashed and burned in his third.
Craigy's time was up; he realised it, and he walked away.
But he never compromised our footy Club to try and protect himself (like Wallace and plenty of others have) - he always put the Club first and he left a fantastic list, with excellent fundamentals (both physically and mentally) for us to move forward with.
Sando is brilliant, I think we all love him - but Craigy was desperately unlucky not to win a flag, and he's left a great legacy.
But he never compromised our footy Club to try and protect himself (like Wallace and plenty of others have) - he always put the Club first and he left a fantastic list, with excellent fundamentals (both physically and mentally) for us to move forward with.
Sando is brilliant, I think we all love him - but Craigy was desperately unlucky not to win a flag, and he's left a great legacy.
Sounds disturbingly like what was said after Craig's first season.
jenny61_99
Premium Platinum
Of course it does. But, as others have pointed out, sando has a much younger and stronger squad to continue to develop. Craig had essentially the fab four plus the injury prone burton and porps. He never really had a full forward and chf at his disposal. IMO, there are more upsides for sando to work with than Craig had.
at Sando's post-game presser he started talking about managing expectations next year (we go from hunter to hunted). Get ready to hear plenty about this over the pre-season 
Craig backed it up in 2006, no reason why Sando can't also. Our list upside is arguably greater (even if we lose Tippett).
Craig backed it up in 2006, no reason why Sando can't also. Our list upside is arguably greater (even if we lose Tippett).
I expect a bit of a clean out to be honest.
Sando has had 12 months to assess the list - surely he can now see deficiencies and who he thinks can improve.
Sando has had 12 months to assess the list - surely he can now see deficiencies and who he thinks can improve.
Agreed.
I think our structure was never quite right, but our list is very good; not expecting wholesale changes there from our end, but I expect at least 3 players (Knights, Symes, Tambling to start) to seek opportunities elsewhere, and a few delisted as well.
I think our structure was never quite right, but our list is very good; not expecting wholesale changes there from our end, but I expect at least 3 players (Knights, Symes, Tambling to start) to seek opportunities elsewhere, and a few delisted as well.
Danoz
Dananananananana Statman (òÓ,)_\,,/
He also didn't have a lot to do with trade week and the draft. This will be his first foray into that world. Makes me wonder whether we would have ended up with Lynch, Johnston or Jenkins. I can see a big clean out too.
- Moderator
- #36
I agree with you 100 percent
This was why we continually lost finals despite having a 4+ goal lead. The Eagles in 06 we had a 4 goal half time lead, Hawthorn in 07 we had a 5 goal lead and about a 6 goal lead against the Pies in 09. Those games were lost in the coaches box.
The loss on Saturday night did not feel like a Neil Craig loss, I also think that Sando could walk away from that game knowing that he was not outcoached whereas Craig IMO was outcoached in at least 4 finals.
After the Qualifying Final I was worried. I saw a team which essentially choked, basically from awe of playing finals. I didn't think so at the time, but now I realise Sando was outcoached as well.
The fight I saw against Freo and Hawthorn was soul stirring, especially the belief after Hawthorn piled on 4 goals to leap to 20 ahead. To quell that period of domination from the best side in the competition, and to come back to be in front with 4 minutes to go... I don't think we would have seen that under Craig.
After these finals, I can see a Coach who learns and adapts, and a team who believes in themselves. Good signs.
The fight I saw against Freo and Hawthorn was soul stirring, especially the belief after Hawthorn piled on 4 goals to leap to 20 ahead. To quell that period of domination from the best side in the competition, and to come back to be in front with 4 minutes to go... I don't think we would have seen that under Craig.
After these finals, I can see a Coach who learns and adapts, and a team who believes in themselves. Good signs.
Agree with that benno; Sando got smashed against Sydney - we played right into their hands, and they crushed us.
Against Freo, the first quarter, they were doing the same thing Sydney did, and we were looking in trouble; we then completely changed our game plan to counter theirs (stacking/flooding/zoning the ground 60m away from the ball carrier) and we touched them up.
Saturday, we played another style of footy again, obviously well planned and well thought out to nullify the Hawks strengths.
I am critical of selection, but there has been a definite improvement in his match-day coaching.
Against Freo, the first quarter, they were doing the same thing Sydney did, and we were looking in trouble; we then completely changed our game plan to counter theirs (stacking/flooding/zoning the ground 60m away from the ball carrier) and we touched them up.
Saturday, we played another style of footy again, obviously well planned and well thought out to nullify the Hawks strengths.
I am critical of selection, but there has been a definite improvement in his match-day coaching.
How much improvement can be assigned to Baileys influence?
Sando seems happier to drop or man or two back, whereas Craig stuck with the zone
Discuss
Discuss
He dropped two back in the 3rd quarter to stop the Hawks run. Worked perfectly!Sando seems happier to drop or man or two back, whereas Craig stuck with the zone
Discuss
Hendo became very valuable as long as he stays on the park.
- Moderator
- #42
Great post
The problem with Craig in September was that once he was beaten it was game over. His preparation was stellar, but once the chess game started his inflexability and lack of a plan B continually hurt us.
smoovy
Premiership Player
That is a fantastic point. Was a great coaching move that helped us get back in the game. I was worried that we wouldn't have a target forward yet somehow we were getting one on ones still. It was a rare loose man victory for us, probably the first for the year!
How many times this year have we come back from deficits and won or at least got back in front? Easily more times than Craig did in whole tenure, even Ayres for that matter.
Yeah I think this is why the AFC coaches used Hendo as the 3rd tall earlier in the year. He's the perfect swing player because he's lightening quick, has good height, good reliable disposal, makes good decisions and is getting better at the contested work. We always knew he was a decent forward but he's becoming a really good all around player. He can get into space on the wings and become a 80m player delivering into the forward line too.
I think we had a thread on the comebacks this year and we worked out that Sando has orchestrated just as many if not more comeback wins this year than Craig ever had.
A FEW GOOD MEN
Club Legend
Sando seems happier to drop or man or two back, whereas Craig stuck with the zone
Discuss
I have it on good authority from Carl Spackler that no decent AFL team has played an extra man (men) in defence since 2007. What happened in the third quarter was two of our players became disoriented and dropped off their man (men) who happened to be at the other end of the ground at the time.
Drugs Are Bad Mackay?
Moderator
- May 24, 2006
- 77,539
- 152,825
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- Redbacks, Sturt, Liverpool, Arizona
- Moderator
- #47
rayven
Norm Smith Medallist
- Jun 26, 2005
- 9,955
- 1,749
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- PC racing
- Thread starter
- #48
Sando seems happier to drop or man or two back, whereas Craig stuck with the zone
Discuss
That wouldn't be right,would it? Craig always spoke of the 3 goal rule, When a team kicked 3 in a row you dropped a man back and start throwing the ball around in defence. In fact Craig first perfected that tactic of throwing the ball around to stop the monentum. We got bagged endlessly for it.It was actually a scandal after a win against Collingwood at docklands.
Now its a common excepted tactic
I might have to watch the replay again but on the weekend it seemed as if we dropped 1 maybe 2 behind the ball but kept attacking? We stemmed their flow but started to get back in to the game pretty quickly.
A FEW GOOD MEN
Club Legend
We played a little bit like Sydney. Whilst we loaded up our backline for substantial parts of the game we moved the ball quickly when a turnover occurred. Rather than bomb the ball long, we spread quickly but then moved the ball through the corridor when it was available. It actually reminded me a little bit of Crows 1997 and 1998.
Similar threads
